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The amount of speeding and red light running at this intersection is obscene.

Cars are speeding past at rush hour more than 20 MPH above the limit, amidst crowds of pedestrians and other vehicles. The red light signal is not obeyed.

It is only a matter of time before a driver loses control and kills or injures several people, as has happened recently at similar intersections (like Crown & College). The very poor pedestrian visibility at the corners, inadequate lighting, and use of line crosswalks rather than the more effective zebra-style crosswalks, only makes matters worse.

Can some police enforcement be added here as a temporary fix, up until the time that the intersection can be rebuilt to a higher standard? Is it even possible to stop red light runners here?

Ultimately, the intersection should be redesigned, like many in other US cities have been, so that travel at more than 15 miles per hour becomes uncommon. I've posted details on similar issues in New Haven about how raised and tabled intersections have been widely used in cities like Boulder, Cambridge Massachusetts, etc.. They have been proven to be extremely effective - not to mention much more cost-efficient than regular police enforcement.

Given that this is in the heart of campus, if Yale University is serious about making sure that students, staff and faculty are not continuing to get injured and killed every year, it should consider pushing the city for a redesign as soon as possible.

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11 Comments

The parked cars on the side of Chapel do help calm traffic somewhat, but by themselves they are inadequate. Cars persist in speeding in spite of the relatively narrow travel lane and profusion of people walking across the street (sometimes at intersections like Chapel and Park with no crossing signals). Cars also bear down aggressively on cyclists from behind, passing at unsafe speeds, violating the statewide 3-foot passing law, and honking gratuitously. Because the street is probably too narrow for bicycle lanes, sharrows must be installed to alert drivers to expect (and to respect) cyclists.

One block west of this intersection at Chapel and Park, cars race down Park St at speeds one might expect on a rural highway (40+ mph). Meanwhile, pedestrians are left to their own wits to cross Park St without any prompting from a crossing signal. This intersection is a catastrophe waiting to happen. It is true that Park St serves as a conduit between Whalley and Elm to the north and Frontage/Rt. 34 to the South, thereby carrying more traffic than one would expect for a relatively narrow residential street. But its importance as a link between two major roads does not entitle drivers to treat it as a highway. Instead, drivers must be reminded that Park St is part of a dense urban fabric, and that pedestrians have priority and the right-of-way, not drivers.

This evening I saw a few people crossing Chapel, heading south on Park, who were nearly run over by a Yale Security SUV that was turning right from Park onto Chapel. Pedestrian signals are definitely needed here.

As of 2013 City departments have begun to review, acknowledge and respond to SeeClickFix issues. Since your issue is in the category titled "No Service Request" and was submitted prior to 2013, we are going to close and archive it. If this issue still requires City attention, please report as a new SeeClickFix issue. Thank you.